Prostate carcinoma is a form of cancer that afflicts approximately 250,000 men in the United States each year, making it one of the most frequent cancers in Americans. It is also the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in males in this country. While five-year survival rates for prostate carcinoma have generally improved over the past several decades, treatment for the advanced, metastatic form of the disease has not improved significantly.
Early detection and treatment of prostate cancer therefore remains one of the most effective measures to prevent further spread of and mortality from the disease. While a number of protein antigens have been discovered that are characteristic of malignant tumors, prostate tumors have not been particularly rich sources of target antigens that might be used for detection and/or immunotherapy of the disease, such as by passive immunotherapy.
It would therefore be useful to provide one or more disease-specific molecules or antigens that can be used in the early detection of prostate cancer. The present invention provides novel nucleotide sequences and corresponding expressed antigens that are useful in both the diagnosis and treatment of prostate carcinoma.